Changes
by Jxuii
Summary: Ino stumbles across Naruto while he's pouring his heart into a song. She feels bad for him and vows to be there for him when he needs it. No matter what she has to go through to do that. Modern AU; Please read my 'Updates' and the Author's Notes, if you really like the story.


**A/N: Okay it's been a while. I have a temporary computer right now. I've re-read all my stories so far and I am not happy with any of them so I going to work on fixing anything with this story and then finishing it before I move on to the long adventure story I have planned out. Please be patient I made a lot of mistakes and I hope to change them I make this this story just that much better. One big change for this chapter is going to be the song. Instead of an actual song he sings, it's going to be a instrumental. If any of you guys played Kingdom Hearts 2 then it's the opening song, Dearly Beloved. It's worth going on YouTube and playing it while you read if that's possible. It's so good I sometimes just sit down and listen to it.**

 **I do not own Naruto or any of it's characters**

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She was walking down the hallway lost in thought, ' _I hope I passed that stupid test. I mean I had to take it like three times!'_ The annoyed teen heard a faint piano coming from the an adjacent hallway. She took a second to listen, before walking closer to the source of the music. ' _Who could that be? School has been over for a while now.'_ The curious teen was so entranced by the beautiful sound of the keys being played with practiced mastery that she seemed to be possessed as she began walking down the hallway. She stopped as she reached the source of the sound.

The door to the music room was slightly ajar. Through the cracked door she could see the room was empty, save for one person. That person was the source of the elegant chords she was hearing. Ino was not surprised that someone in the school could play the piano that well, she was surprised however, by who was playing it. The one responsible for the music was not one that anyone would first associate with the amazing sound, especially not when it sounded this good. She expected someone like Tayuya to be in here after school. Not the handsome piece of talent that was currently sat with his back to her. She hadn't even noticed that she walked all the way into the classroom until she was standing just behind him, watching his hands lay so delicately on the keys.

Once he finished the song he asked,"Did you like it?" It was so soft she almost didn't hear it.

Once she processed what the man said she began to blush heavily. "Uh y-yeah it was nice." She managed to stammer out. "Naruto when did you learn to play like that, it was so enticing. I couldn't help myself, when I heard the song I just began walking down here without even realizing it." She heard the aforementioned blonde let out a small chuckle, causing her blush to darken.

"Thank you Ino, I'm glad you liked it." He then turned around to look at her ruby cheeks, "My parents taught me before they… before they left." He looked down for a brief second almost in sorrow before quickly looking up with a smile. "What are you still doing here anyway, school got out a few hours ago, I would've thought you'd be hanging out with your friends."

Ino seemed to don a sour expression before spitting out, "I had to retake Mr. Hatake's test again. I swear he just keeps failing me for no reason." She fixed the hair in her face with a huff. She felt Naruto's cerulean eyes focused intently on her. She brought her eyes towards the piano to avoid his gaze as her face began to heat up again and asked, "So you said your parents left?" She heard a soft hum from the man in front of her, "Where'd they go?" She continued.

This time Naruto's eyes left the platinum blonde in favor of gazing upon the ground. He reached for his bag and stood up. Deciding to not look back at the aquamarine orbs in front of him, he began to walk past the shorter blonde. The former opened her mouth to ask her question again, however before she could, he answered with one word.

"Up."

He then walked out of the classroom leaving Ino frozen in place with her mouth slightly agape. He was gone before she could even gather her thoughts ' _Oh no, why did I have to ask? Kami I'm so stupid!'_

She walked out with the hurting blond on her mind. Before she shut the door to the music room she gave one last look at the piano in the middle of the room and let out a depressed sigh. She began walking back to her apartment getting drenched from the rain that was forecasted earlier. ' _Great, first I find out I failed that test and had to retake it, I make Naruto of all people, sad, and I forgot my umbrella._ ' When she reached her apartment she unlocked the door, went straight into her room, changed out of her soaking clothes, sat on her bed and stared at her wall. ' _Naruto…'_ she thought worriedly, ' _I'm sorry. You've always seemed so happy I can't believe you've had to deal with something like that. Why didn't you tell anyone? Why didn't you tell me I could've helped you. Naruto I swear I'm going to make this right for you.'_ With that thought, a burst of determination came and lied down and went to sleep with a new goal in mind.

As for the poor blond boy with his hands wound into his soft spiky hair, he was lost in thought. ' _Mom, Dad, I miss you guys so much. I don't think I can do this without you. Please come home. I need help. Are you guys even listening? Do you even care? I'm struggling by myself. I need guidance please... Please... Please...'_ There were tears streaming down his face faster than the raindrops sliding down his window. He buried his face into his only pillow and fell into a fitful sleep.

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Naruto looked over at the window, noticing the moon still shining bright. He gazed over to his clock and saw it was still only four in the morning. Knowing he wouldn't be getting any more sleep he got up and went into his bathroom. Looking in his mirror he could see how puffy his eyes and cheeks were. He turned on a cold shower and with a quick intake of breath and a step out of his frog covered underwear, stepped in, letting the water hit his body like shards of ice. It did well in waking him up and he rubbed his face briefly under the shower head before turning the water to a warmer temperature.

After a quick wash he got out and wrapped a towel around himself. Walking back into his room he saw all of his clothes thrown about. He picked up a pair of pants and brought them to his nose. Deciding they were clean he put them on and began picking up the rest of his clothes to throw into a basket. He would take them to his laundry room later. He walked into the the kitchen and made a small breakfast. After eating, the first of the sun's rays began to peek in through the windows. He cleaned up his plate and started to sweep the wood flooring of the kitchen and the living room.

By the time he was finished the sun had risen a bit more and the birds began singing their morning song. He began picking up all the trash around the small house the Mayor, Hiruzen Sarutobi payed for. His parents were very close with him, and he thought of Naruto as his own grandson. When he found out that his parents passed away the old man was quick to all but adopt the boy. He would check on him frequently but by the time Naruto started high school he didn't have enough time to do see him as often. The mayor still tried to stop by at least once a month to see how he was doing.

He was brought out of his muse by a soft knock on the door. ' _Who could that be? It's barley six in the morning.'_ He walked up to the door and the person on the other side began knocking again when he opened it.

"Hello?"

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Ino had woken up early. The was a single ray of sunshine that fell in the one spot her eyes were at the time. She tried rolling over to catch some more sleep before it ran away from her, but she did not catch it in time. Since she was up she decided to get up and take a quick shower. After quickly washing and drying herself, she got dressed and thought about what to do today. It was Saturday so that meant that Sakura was probably going to be working.

She then remembered what happened yesterday and began to wonder what should she do. Naruto was clearly hurting. ' _He's always so cheerful and ecstatic though.'_ The platinum blonde would never guess he was dealing with something like that. Ino couldn't fathom why he would keep that to himself. ' _How long has he been dealing with this without telling anyone?'_ It infuriated the teal-eyed girl. She couldn't believe that the loudmouth knucklehead could hide something like his parents dying. It had to have been before high school because he surely would've told one of his friends. ' _I should go see him…'_ Without a second thought she walked out of the door, dressed only in a purple jacket and a pair of grey sweats with her hair thrown in it's usually high ponytail.

She seems to have forgone the thought of what she most look like to other people, or rather forgone the thought of caring about it.

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' _Why did I decide to do this?! I look like I'm homeless! What am I going to say'_ Before she could turn and walk away, she inhaled deeply and steeled her nerves for just one second. Enough time for her to knock on the door. She waited a few seconds, then when she felt her anxiety start to crawl up her back she knocked again… right as the door was opened. ' _Kuso that's embarrassing.'_

"Hello?" She saw him looking just above her before he brought his gaze down to her. "Oh hey, Ino. Why are you here? And why are you up so early?" His smile froze her in the spot she was stood. "Ino?" The taller blond continued.

Hearing her name, she snapped out of the temporary trance she fell into. With a face hotter than Konoha in the summer, she responded, "H-hey Naruto. I couldn't sleep. Can I come in? Please?"

"Of course!" He wouldn't turn down any of his friends especially not one that asks nicely. Although he was utterly confused about the very sudden visit from his fellow blonde, he would not question it.

Ino walked in and noticed that it was really clean. That was not to say she thought Naruto could not to pick up after himself, it's just she expected him to be more… _preoccupied_. At least that's what the young woman would say if prompted about the subject, but really who would ask her about that.

"Naruto what was that song called that you were playing yesterday?" She asked with complete innocence akin to a child. Naruto had shut the door and started to make some tea for them to share.

"Dearly Beloved." Came his simple reply. When he first saw her at his door he was extremely confused as to why she would be here. It's not like she ever went out of her way to talk to him before. As a matter of fact he can't remember a time he had an actual conversation with the blonde across from him. Following that thought came the realization of why Ino was here.

"I'm okay, really I am." Naruto said suddenly breaking the gentle sound of the flame heating the kettle. Ino who, once again was caught spacing out, met his soft eyes. While it was faint she noticed a lingering sadness, even still he flashed her his face-splitting smile. Ino let her eyes wander a bit more. She immediately saw that he was not wearing a shirt and fought an internal struggle to tear her teal orbs away from his, surprisingly, toned torso. Once again her face flushed as she quickly turned her head away to gaze about his abode.

Compared to her studio apartment, Naruto's house seemed like heaven. ' _It must be so nice to have a more than one room.'_ Before Ino could comment on it though the kettle began to cry out. The shirtless blond turned away from the small island Ino was sitting at and began to pour the tea into cups. He turned back around and places the cup in front of the girl who was acting out of character. She muttered a small thank you and even though she wouldn't look at him, Naruto kept his curious blue eyes fixed on her.

"Hey Ino," He received the short response, _hmm_ , "Why'd you come here? I'm not mad, just curious, you never hang out with me. While we're talking about it, how'd you know where I live?" He asked leaning forward. His tone was clearly friendly and he was just trying to make conversation.

"Well one day Sakura was meeting Sasuke and he told her that he was at your house and I was walking with her. So we just met him here." She saw him nod his head in acceptance. "How do you afford a house? I thought you didn't have a job because you needed to focus more on school." She was kind of jealous that he had a house with lots of space and enough land to not hear his neighbors all day but she was stuck in a small apartment with noisy neighbors.

He gave a small laugh and said, "My parents, they were good friends with the mayor. He's basically my grandfather. But no one had bought this house in years and it was relatively close to the school so he decided to pay for it for me." Now Ino was really jealous. It quickly faded when she saw his face. He looked really dejected. This time it was her that was keeping her eyes locked on him.

It hurt her chest to see that. There was no apparent reason for it, but it hurt. She needed to fix it to put a smile on his face. Taking a sip of tea she looked back out and saw a small electric piano and a guitar. She saw a bunch of other things that she assumed has to do with music. "Hey um do yo- do you think you could play me that song again? I didn't get to hear all of it and it sounded beautiful." Naruto perked up at her question he set his cup down and walked towards the living room, where his instruments where.

On his way a thought intruded his mind. "The song is no where close to your beauty." Ino's face just cooled down before she heard that. When those words slid into her ears her face heated back up to the temperature of the teacup that she used to hide her face.

"T-Thank you Naruto." She had no idea where the stutter was coming from but it was starting to annoy her. Naruto's face took its turn in blushing. He had thought that he said that in his head but it appears that he said it out loud, and she heard him. Without turning around to look at her, his embarrassment too great, he took a seat at the piano and played a small tune. He then straightened himself in the chair and began playing. It began soft and he was hesitant to put as much heart into it as he did the day prior.

Ino sat quietly on his couch with one leg tucked under the other. Her tea still in hand. As he continued not only the song picked up in intensity but the, still, shirtless blond began to put his heart into it. It was evident with the way he was moving his hands and body at the same time. He seemed to be playing the song not only with just his hands, but also his head. On certain deeper chords his head would bow lower but with higher ones he would just shake his head.

As the song began to slow down so did his head. She thought he was done as the song was slow and soft but then it picked up again quickly. Conveying a wide mix of emotions within her. It was such a beautiful song. No other words could describe it.

With this song on, one wouldn't be wrong in assuming they were dreaming. There was such a calm tone and it picked up so subtly you didn't even realize it. The song demanded attention when it was being played. It could compel even the laziest person to be productive for no other reason than because the song gave made them do it.

Naruto felt breathless when he finished the song. He played it with all the emotion in his being. To do any less would be denying a flower it's sunlight. While it was just a song to a majority. It held a special place to him, it was the only song his parents were able to 'teach' him, before their untimely demise. So as the song came to a close he felt his mood somber and tears threatened to make themselves known. The blond boy sat for a minute, his hands resting on the keys, looking over each and every one; naming the notes that they produced with drilled perfection. You need to know the keys before you can play them after all.

He inhaled deeply, "I was only five." His voice was so soft Ino almost missed it. She was confused on what he meant, before she could inquiry further, it clicked, and she knew what he was talking about. The smaller blonde decided to stay quiet and let him talk.

"I was five and they were coming home from the store, they had just picked up sheet music for a song so I could learn the piano. They came to a stop sign and stopped before looking both ways. It was their turn but this guy wasn't paying attention. He came out of nowhere honestly. In the videos there was no one then the next frame his car was speeding down the aisle. My mom was texting my babysitter to let her know they were coming home, and my dad was driving so he was facing forwards. In just a few seconds I became an orphan just because someone didn't pay attention while they were driving." Ino watched with sympathetic eyes as he shuddered, trying not to let the tears fall. "It was that song… the police found my mom's phone across the parking lot… they saw-they saw the text my mom was typing and called the babysitter, telling her to come down to the hospital… The nurse told me that they tried their best… but I know there was nothing they could do… They were de-dead on impact." By this point Naruto was crying as if he was five years old again. His tears flooding his piano.

Ino was holding back her own tears and decided that Naruto was in the need of help. She slowly removed herself from the couch and brought herself next to him slowly. There were so many thought and emotions flowing through her. She suppressed all of them so that she could console her friend. Ino wrapped her arms around his shivering shoulders and rested her head on his collar. "Naruto… It's okay. I'm right here. I'll always be here, whenever you need me to be. I will not leave your side. I promise that." Ino wasn't sure where her conviction came from but she was telling the truth. Something came over her when she noticed him crying. It pained her chest to see him so sad. Her heart had told her to pick up his pieces and put them back together. So that's exactly what she would do, piece by piece, no matter how long it took. She would be there for _her_ Naruto.

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 **A/N: Finally! I'm back and I've done something other than complain about why I can't update. Anyways I'm pretty happy with this story so far. I don't think it will be that long. It more than likely won't even be 5 chapters. However that's mainly due to the fact that I'm giving myself a 3,000 word minimum.**

 **That minimum doesn't include the Author's Notes. One of the main reasons for this, is because it stops me from ending things abruptly. I have to expand my writing, give more details, all the things that make a good story just that. I came up with it because I've seen other writers use something similar and with both chapter in the original _'Changes'_ I only had 3,000 words so I wanted to fix that. I wanted to give you guys something you can actually read**

 **I can't promise regular updates because I already don't have much time to write but I will try my best. Plus with the minimum the chapters take pretty long to write, if you don't believe me I encourage you to try it. I think it's a fun challenge.**

 **Also I am very aware of the fact that I have two different spellings of blond. Blond is a French word and if your subject is masculine than you drop the 'e', however if it's feminine you add an 'e'. That's like one of the biggest rules in French. Maybe I'll include a few sentences in upcoming chapters just for the fun of it.**

 **Anyways I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter it is 7 pages long in Google Docs and took my a few weeks to write. If anyone would like to be a beta reader for my stories feel free to PM me. I try my best but, just like everyone else I'm not perfect. Actually I'm probably one of the least perfect writers on this site. But enough of my self-loathing, until next time. Au revoir (Good bye).**


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